Work Text:
“Stop moving, you’re gonna get dye all over your shirt!”
You continued to laugh as you watched your best friend’s eyebrows furrow with a pout, the smell of cheap hair dye lingering in the air. You probably should’ve opened the air vents of the bathroom but with you being held hostage in your seat by Two and the window being open for airflow, you figured that it can wait a few more minutes.
The summer sun blazed ever so brightly down the patches of green grass just outside your apartment as you hummed a tune, some song you heard on the radio that had gotten stuck in your head for days now. Normally, you’d have the air conditioning going but…
You shivered at the feeling of cool hair dye being brushed against the roots of your hair. It had been approximately ten minutes since you’d invited your best friend to help you dye your hair for the summer, a fairly new idea that made them raise an eyebrow at the sudden invitation.
“So what’s with the sudden need to dye your hair again?”
“I’m finally coming to terms.”
“...with?”
You turn around to face them with a smirk, “I’m entering my hot girl summer era.”
Two’s laughter fills the room as they tried their best to keep the bowl of hair dye in their hands, desperately trying to keep their voice down in case the neighbors complain about the noise while you puffed your cheeks in lighthearted annoyance.
“What, you think I can’t be hot for the summer?”
“No.”
Dramatically, you placed your hand on your chest to which they only shook their head with a smile. “But seriously, what made you want to dye your hair all of a sudden?”
You closed your eyes as Two brushed your hair, making sure that no strands were left undyed. His fingers running through your hair were starting to make you sleepy.
“Felt like it.”
Two leans to the side as he stared at you in the mirror before going back to his work until eventually running out of dye. He places the bowl down on the sink, gives your hair one coat with the leftovers on his glove, then finally puts everything away where it belongs as he taps your shoulder to wake you up.
“20 minutes.”
You stretch your arms, not realizing how long you’ve been sitting down until you stood up to also stretch your back. While you found yourself fully awake, your eyes wander to your tall best friend who was currently washing the dye off their hands.
“You should try it.”
Two turns in your direction.
“What?”
“You should try bleaching your hair some time.”
He shudders, “I’d rather keep my hair intact to my head for a few more years, thanks.”
You booed him as he sat on the edge of the tub, yawning. The sound of children playing provided a good ambiance for the hot, summer afternoon, and it seems that Two’s thoughts were preoccupied with the scenery outside your apartment window as he was staring at them with a small smile resting on his face. Cute.
“One time, I tried dyeing my hair with Crayola markers.”
There goes his cute image.
“I heard it from the kids in my class. Apparently, if you pull out the ink tube from the markers and dip it in water, you can dye your hair with it.”
“And you believed them?”
“I was in fourth grade.”
You burst out laughing. It’s exactly the kind of thing they’d do.
“Did the ink ever come off?”
“Yeah, they were washable types of markers anyway.”
Two sighs at the memory while you sat there, trying to contain your laughter. He was at least happy that you found the story amusing despite his stupidity.
A warm breeze flows in, tickling both your and Two’s skin. Summer this year had been unforgiving but you were glad that today wasn’t as hot as it usually was. Even though you’d rather have the AC on, you didn’t mind today’s warmth since it’s not every day that you get to do something like this with Two—if anything, him going out of his way to help you dye your hair amidst the heat was enough for you to not care about what’s happening outside your home. It felt nice to spend time with him, having your hair dyed in the summer heat. It felt nice being with him.
You quietly take a glance at your companion whose smile can rival that of the sun from how bright it is. He always seemed to have that expression around you and presumptuous as it may be, a part of you wondered if he could only show that kind of smile to you and no one else. Now that you think about it…
“How’s college so far?”
He quirks an eyebrow at you.
“Why the sudden question?”
“What, can’t I get some insight about my best friend’s college life?”
He rolls his eyes, “It’s been fine. Not much to talk about other than the fact that they’re boring.”
“Not even your friends?”
He purses his lips and glances at you then back out the window, “Nope.”
“Yeesh, I thought you already made some on your first day!” You stretched your arms, almost falling back into the tub had he not put his arm behind you for support. He pushes you forward before looking down on his feet, his hair covering his face.
“I mean, I did—but I’m not really in the mood to talk about them right now.”
“Why not?”
He takes a moment to reply before raising his head to face you with the softest expression that you’ve ever seen from him.
“Cause I’m here to spend the day with you .”
Huh?
Two’s phone goes off; the alarm that he’d set for the hair dye alerts you both that he jumps up from his seat almost too quickly for him to lose a bit of his balance. He catches himself, though, and laughs his clumsiness off like always.
“Want me to help you wash your hair?”
You were still in a daze at his answer but you break away from that trance and blink a few times.
“Oh, um,” you stuttered, desperately not wanting to meet his eyes. “No, I—I think I’ll take a shower.”
He nods before leaving the bathroom but peeks his head from the hallway, “I’ll be in the living room, just call me if you need anything!” And with that, he shuts the door and leaves you alone with your thoughts.
Once he’s left the room, he lets out a sigh of relief before covering his face with one hand, his cheeks burning bright red as he realizes what he just said. He could only hope you don’t catch on to him, not yet, at least.
Just for a bit longer, he wants to keep this friendship with you for a bit longer.